Pale Horses Lib/E: (4 Jade de Jong Investigations Lib/E)

At first, the case appears to be one of simple misadventure. Sonet van Rensburg, a base jumper, falls to her death while attempting to parachute off a newly built sixty-five-story Sandton skyscraper. But Sonet's jumping partner Chris Theron insists that this was no accident, and he hires private investigator Jade de Jong to uncover the truth. Glad of the distraction from her conflicted and seemingly doomed relationship with police superintendent David Patel, Jade immerses herself in the case. She discovers that Sonet worked for a charity that helped impoverished communities become self-supporting farming units. Sonet's ex-husband, though, has nothing good to say about his wife or the work she has done. He tells Jade that Sonet's efforts were a useless waste of money and that the farming projects were not sustainable. When Jade travels out to the Siyabonga community's farm in Limpopo, hoping to prove him wrong, she finds it not just abandoned but razed to the ground. Digging deeper for answers about where the residents went and why they left their fertile valley, Jade finds out that one man died from a terminal illness. Then, to her concern, she learns about more sicknesses and more deaths--a fatal but unknown disease that swept through the entire community. Jade then discovers that Sonet's sister Zelda, a journalist, was investigating this mystery too. Zelda had discovered that one woman and her son had survived the plague and had left the area, and she was doing her best to track that woman down so she could hear her story. But now Zelda is missing, and Jade will have to race against time in order to find her. A deadly harvest has been gathered in, and the only person who knows the real truth about it has been forced to become collateral in its trade.

About the Author :
Jassy Mackenzie is the author of the Jade de Jong series. She lives in South Africa. Justine Eyre is a classically trained actress who has narrated many audiobooks, earning the prestigious Audie Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She is multilingual and known for her great facility with accents. She has appeared on stage, with leading roles in King Lear and The Crucible, and has had starring roles in four films on the indie circuit. Her television credits include Two and a Half Men and Mad Men.

Review :
[Jade de Jong] is tough as nails and persistent, despite the fact that every clue leads to a dark and twisted place...Pale Horses is sure to appeal to fans of Liza Marklund, Zoe Sharp, and Mackenzie's fellow South African crime writer Deon Meyer. -- "Booklist (starred review)" A terrifying ride into a world of corporate greed, potential terrorism, and the ways that South Africa's future still resonates with its brutal past...Mackenzie, who writes with chilly fervor, plunges the reader into a nightmare world that nonetheless offers the possibility of redemption. -- "Richmond Times-Dispatch" Gripping...As the novel hurtles toward a devastating climax, Mackenzie pumps up the suspense. -- "Publishers Weekly" Mackenzie's shrewd plotting is enlivened by her sharp eye for both Johannesburg's high life and its desperate poverty. -- "Seattle Times"